Sunrise 5:38 AM   Sunset 7:51 PM Moonrise 9:12 PM   Moonset 5:43 AM

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FXUS66 KOTX 241050 AFDOTX

Area Forecast Discussion National Weather Service Spokane WA 350 AM PDT Wed Apr 24 2024

SYNOPSIS
Mild and mostly dry weather continues with 60s and 70s through Wednesday. A cooling trend arrives late Wednesday into Thursday with breezy winds and increasing chances for rains. Unsettled weather continues late through the weekend and early next week with better chances for precipitation across the lowlands.

DISCUSSION

Today will be mild but more cloudy with increasing chances for showers in the Cascades as an upper low in southern BC brings west flow aloft. A weak frontal passage this afternoon will pose a very slim risk of blowing dust on the Waterville Plateau but confidence is very low. There is a 50% chance of gusts 30 mph or greater in the afternoon hours which may create locally dusty conditions.

Another wave off the WA coast brings an increasingly moist airmass to the INW Thursday. It will start off mostly dry in the morning thanks to shadowing but precip chances increase in the afternoon hours as the flow becomes increasingly south aloft. The wave slows down inland keeping precip chances into Friday with a conditionally unstable airmass. There still remains a slim chance (15%) of thunder in the northern mountains and the ID Panhandle. It is expected to bring a round of much needed showers to the Inland Northwest with most areas with at least a 30% probability of at least a tenth of an inch of precip. Higher terrains of the Cascades and northern mountains could receive near a quarter of an inch. The east slopes of the Cascades is expected to be impacted by the rain shadow effect and should receive less. The airmass is much cooler as well with highs staying in the 50s and low 60s both Thursday and Friday.

Multiple impulses off a parent trough in the Gulf of Alaska bringing chances for mountain snow and valley rain. Flow orientation is split between north/west/south with each impulse which would greatly influence the amount of shadowing. /DB

AVIATION
12Z TAFS: Cirrus clouds will continue to stream into the region from the west ahead of an approaching dry cold front. Winds will begin to pick up around 18Z on Wednesday from the southwest with the passage of front. Precipitation is expected to remain west of the Cascades with flight conditions to remain VFR across eastern Washington and north Idaho.

FORECAST CONFIDENCE AND/OR ALTERNATE SCENARIOS: High confidence in VFR conditions for all terminals through the TAF period.

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Confidence descriptors: Low - Less than a 30 percent chance Moderate - 30 to 70 percent chance High - Greater than a 70 percent chance

For additional probabilistic information for NWS Spokane airports, please refer to the Aviation Dashboard on our webpage: https:// www.weather.gov/otx/avndashboard

PRELIMINARY POINT TEMPS/POPS
Spokane 64 41 59 43 55 41 / 0 0 10 70 70 20 Coeur d'Alene 63 40 57 43 52 41 / 0 0 20 70 80 30 Pullman 61 39 57 43 53 41 / 0 0 10 80 80 40 Lewiston 70 45 65 48 60 46 / 0 0 10 70 70 30 Colville 65 37 61 41 56 39 / 0 0 20 80 90 50 Sandpoint 63 41 55 43 51 41 / 0 0 30 70 90 50 Kellogg 62 42 54 45 51 43 / 0 0 40 70 90 50 Moses Lake 69 42 63 44 63 42 / 0 0 10 30 30 10 Wenatchee 65 44 60 46 61 44 / 0 0 20 20 20 10 Omak 68 41 63 45 61 43 / 0 0 10 60 50 30

OTX WATCHES/WARNINGS/ADVISORIES
ID...None.
WA...None.

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